New York Jets legendary quarterback and Hall of Famer Joe Namath added his take to the millions swirling around the displays by NFL players during the national anthem in an appearance on ‘Fox & Friends’ Tuesday morning.
His comments came on the heels of former Chicago Bears coach and Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka stating in a radio interview that “there has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of.” (h/t Chicago Tribune)
“Look up the meaning of oppression,” Namath said in response to Ditka. “Look up the definition of oppression and you understand that it’s obviously taken place.”
He also commented on Colin Kaepernick, who was the first to take a knee to bring about a change to the way people of color are treated by police.
“Going back to what Colin Kaepernick initially did, it was to point out some injustice that’s being done to the black race,” he said. “Or to the people that obviously when you look, and I say obviously, some of these dash cams and shootings that were done to unarmed people. He was reaching out to try to get it more investigated. So that’s where this oppression thing comes in.”
Born in Beaver Falls, PA, Namath attended college at Alabama before joining the Jets in 1965. He spent 12 years with the team, including a miraculous victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. He holds the Jets franchise records in passing yards and touchdowns.
